Celebrating Women's Month: Creativity, Collaboration and Community with We Make Noise

In March, Plugin Boutique and We Make Noise proudly teamed up for Women’s Month, gathering female and non-binary voices to celebrate their presence in the music industry. The event centred around the making of We Make Noise's collaborative album—a project compiling works of women and non-binary producers, songwriters, and engineers.

At the event, there was an exclusive demo breakdown and an in-depth panel discussion. Through which, attendees exemplified their unique creative processes, learned from each other, and networked in a supportive environment designed to foster both artistic growth and community, whilst simultaneously paying homage to women’s heritage in the industry.

The night featured Andrea Turk, a producer whose work draws deeply from her Indonesian heritage, and Colby, a songwriter and producer whose credits span from reggaeton placements on the Real Housewives franchise to collaborative camps that have opened doors across the industry. The discussion was moderated by Cassie, who guided the conversation through topics ranging from creative process and collaboration to essential tools and navigating the music industry.

Getting started

To kick things off, Andrea walked the audience through her SWAMP GIRL, by Plunki, remix, which is featured on the We Make Noise, Vol. 1 collaborative album. She discussed how much of her sound selection and production style was influenced by her Indonesian heritage.

She also went into depth about how she nailed the vocals on the track using Soundtoys’ Little Alterboy. There was also a brief discussion about Spire, Ramzoid, Mike Dean, ShaperBox, and plugins in general, whilst Andrea commandeered the opening segment.

Next up, Cassie moderated the conversation between Andrea and Colby. They spoke about something all creatives struggle with: inspiration, and how to evoke it. Colby’s main point was to do whatever gets you in the mood—she noted waking up early and letting her creativity take the steering wheel is what works for her, to keep the creative juices pumping day to day.

Conversely, Andrea spoke about how she likes to just throw ideas at the wall, mentioning that she has been producing for herself for a while, so it’s almost a comfort zone thing for her. She’s familiar with the process and keeps things simple. She specified that starting with a single element, like a vocal, can be enough to spark inspiration for a single session.

Advice for working in Collaboration

The topic of conversation then switched lanes to collaboration and how both these musically attuned women approach collaborative studio sessions. Interestingly, Colby opened up about how, since working more formally, she has been working according to briefs.

She noted that a successful collab session for her looks like nailing the brief, keeping the artists happy, and keeping publishing happy. Other than that, she mentioned just figuring out and working with what each collaborator likes in a session, and trying to engineer a vibe that everyone connects with.

Andrea’s perspective was similar in that regard. She mentioned finding what inspires everyone as the most notable goal. She said that, once the inspiration is sparked, you start to just bounce more ideas off each other, and it has a snowball effect. She said that, even if something doesn’t work, don’t be afraid to try it.

 

 

How to start a track

Cassie slingshotted some further questions to the artists, asking for a more detailed look at their typical starting processes when approaching a production. Colby elaborated, explaining that guitar pedals are her favourite ear-candy and a go-to choice. But, she said, there is no one-size-fits-all option, expanding further by saying sometimes she starts with a bassline and drums, or even something with a catchy instrumental hook when working on Pop.

Andrea gave a more streamlined response, detailing that she most often relies on crafting an 8-bar groove with the bassline, then moves on to the drums. She explained this is her usual process, nearly always.

Working alone

They then began a discussion about how the creative process might differ when working on their lonesome, versus in collaboration. Andrea went back to her SWAMP GIRL remix, explaining that she visualised all the elements fitting together before she began work. Admittedly, this is for a remix – so, slightly different than the typical process – but she explained visualising all the elements in this way is crucial for a successful track when she’s responsible for the whole production (alone).

Colby then opened up, sharing that when she is collaborating, it’s more about rapid-fire ideas and letting go of perfectionism, mocking things together and getting it on the canvas before finalising things. She contrasted this by saying how, when she works alone, she works more slowly and has more control over all the minor details. It leads to a different result, but when she works alone, the music is just for her—both methods have their valid place.

What about when things go wrong?

Next up, the panellists conversed about when things go wrong, common roadblocks and creative hurdles. Colby opened by saying that every track is almost like a puzzle to crack. She mentioned that when things aren’t working fluidly and creativity is struggling, it’s okay to take a step back, have a break, or even discard the project and start afresh. She noted that knowing when to push through and stop is an important skill.

Andrea listed a fair few challenges she faces regularly. She mentioned she struggles with working on different genres, stepping out of her regular comfort zone. She also said finding the right reference track can be tricky, crafting choruses, making sure the drums fit, having to rearrange melodic notes surgically, and more.

What plugins are essential?

Andrea began the plugin discussion by listing Decapitator and Ableton’s stock Redux as her favourite plugins for drum processing. Colby said that there are a few plugins she would declare as essential, labelling them as desert-island necessities. These included any 1176 and LA-2A compressors, ShaperBox, Lifeline Console. She also agreed with Andrea that Decapitator is a go-to.

Cassie double-downed, asking the artists specifically about vocal plugins. Straight away, Colby perked up, expressing that any reliable preamp and compressor is a must-have. She then went on to explain that she tries to recreate vintage hardware chains using UAD plugins. She mentioned the 1176 once more, and even the Waves C6 Multiband Compressor with a specific preset as a reliable tool.

Andrea was less vocal during this segment as she admitted she has minimal experience with vocal processing. She declared that she would typically rely on template FX chains, but mentioned an EQ, compressor, and a desesser as vital components no matter what.

How did they learn which tools to use?

Cassie's prompted a great question—asking both women how they became acquainted with their specific plugins and workflows. Colby explained how she mostly inherited it from her mentor and just practised, practised, and practised with certain plugins over time. She mentioned Sound Exploder as a specific vital influence on her learning process.

Andrea agreed that learning through watching others was the biggest difference maker. She mentioned Ramzoid once more and then further explained how practising with different plugins, presets, and combinations is what allowed her to become intimate with her craft.

Wrapping things up

The panel continued for some time, with more and more topics being discussed in-depth, yet what stuck the most as a worthy final mention is the final advice that both ladies gave to the audience. They expressed how just working a lot, and having fun with it is the key to developing skills and knowledge over time. Colby mentioned you also have to be honest with yourself and try to understand why things do or don’t work, and trial and error.

Andrea finished by recommending that every studies the greats who came before them, to never give up, and to accept that failure is inevitable, but it is part of the learning process.